Anne Urquhart (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Look, it makes me laugh—I mean, I come from a state of almost 100 per cent renewable energy, and I hear stories like that: 'It'll never work'! It's ridiculous!

Energy prices are a serious issue for households and businesses. The Albanese government's reliable renewable energy plan means that wholesale energy prices are now lower than when the coalition left office. Maybe they forget about that. They look at the numbers and they try and twist them around.

We are helping to ease the cost-of-living pressures. We're doing that by giving every household relief, as Senator Gallagher said in her answer, of $300 from their energy bills.

Meanwhile, over on that side, what have the coalition got? No plans to bring electricity prices down. They voted against the legislation, time and time again. And what have they put into the future? A risky nuclear reactor. It's an idea—a thought bubble. It would add a thousand dollars to energy bills and would supply less than four per cent of the energy that households and businesses will need. And it's way off in the future—years and decades into the future.

The Australian Energy Market Operator, AEMO, who run our electricity grid, have said:

We are increasingly seeing renewable energy records being set which is a good thing for Australian consumers as it is key in driving prices down …

Now, I don't know what's wrong with those on that side, as to why they don't listen to the Energy Market Operator. In AEMO, they have all the information at their fingertips. That reduction is applied to electricity bills, our previous gas price cap and gas code, and it goes to reducing the price of gas for Australian households and industry. The independent office of impact assessments analysed our CIS and conducted that with the CIS, and they say, 'consumers are expected to face lower retail electricity prices on average, and a reduction in reliability risks'.

Those opposite, by contrast, have voted against the $3 billion in energy relief, as I said earlier, for millions of Australians, including pensioners. They voted against energy relief for pensioners, for low-income families, for veterans and for other people out in our community. They voted against it, time and time again. They've given up on cheaper energy for Australians. They voted against it every time. They changed the law to hide electricity price rises from the Australian people. Now they are advocating for nuclear energy, which is set to add thousands of dollars to energy bills and supply less than four per cent of the energy households and businesses need. The coalition promised at the 2019 election to get energy prices to $70 a megawatt hour, the average at the election.

Over the medium and long term, the Albanese government's reliable renewables plan is the only one supported by experts to deliver a clean, cheap, reliable and resilient energy system. As I said, I come from a state that has, I think, 98 per cent—nearly 100 per cent—renewable energy. So I'm not sure why those over on the other side are so opposed to it. The plan that the Albanese government have in relation to renewables is supported by independent advice from the CSIRO, a very trusted organisation, and the Australian Energy Market Operator. The lowest cost plan for a reliable energy grid is Australia's world-leading renewables, like solar and wind—firmed up, of course, with batteries, pumped hydro, flexible gas and transmission. So a whole range of initiatives that the Albanese Labor government are introducing will lower the cost of energy into the future.

The government will continue to help people with the cost of living, because we know that the cost of living is of concern. That's why we supported and brought in a $300 help with the cost of electricity bills, for everyone around the country, to help ease their cost-of-living burdens and to help them with their budgets. That's what those over on that side voted against, time and time again. They don't support helping Australians.